DE 101 36 438 A1 discloses a sensor arrangement in a roller bearing which is suitable for determining physical variables during the movement of a component mounted in the roller bearing. In the case of the sensor arrangement, the forces and moments acting on the bearing shells of the roller bearing are captured by sensor elements and electronic devices that are attached to the bearing shells being used to detect mechanical stresses or other physical reactions of the bearing shells to these forces and moments. The sensor elements are in this case formed as resistive strain gages, which are preferably fastened in a groove at the periphery of the fixed bearing shell, it being possible for the latter to be both the inner bearing shell or the outer bearing shell of a roller bearing.
According to this publication, the resistive strain gages may be applied over an insulating layer on a metal intermediate carrier, such as for example a small plate. A further carrier material, formed as a leadframe, surrounds said intermediate carrier with the resistive strain gages and serves for receiving electronic devices and strip conductors. To fasten the intermediate carrier and the leadframe to the bearing shell, they are pressed or welded into the groove of the same.
In addition, it is known from this DE 101 36 438 A1 that the resistive strain gages can be applied to the metal intermediate carrier in the form of an axially and tangentially measuring full-bridge or half-bridge connection. Moreover, this publication discloses that, with the electronic devices, a signal evaluation and signal transmission to further measuring points or other evaluation circuits or to a connection plug takes place. The signal transmission in the case of this known measuring bearing may take place serially via a digital or analog bus system, which is arranged for example in a motor vehicle.
Although this known measuring bearing has a comparatively high and advantageous degree of integration on account of the arrangement of sensor elements and electronic devices in the groove of the bearing ring, a relatively wide groove is required for its construction. Since, however, the groove in such a bearing ring is to be kept as small as possible to avoid weakening of the component, conversion of the arrangement known from DE 101 36 438 A1 into a marketable product is not very likely. The technical problem described occurs in particular in the case of roller bearings that are axially very narrow.
Furthermore, the applicant's DE 103 04 592 A1, which is not a prior publication, discloses a measuring bearing in which the strain gages, the electrical conductors and/or the electronic devices are sputtered directly onto the surface of the recess of the bearing ring or onto the silicon dioxide layer.
Although the construction of the measuring bearing according to the last-mentioned, not previously published DE 103 04 592 A1 is accompanied by distinct advantages over the prior art cited at the beginning with regard to the compactness of a measurement data capturing and processing system formed on a roller bearing, there is a demand for a variant which can be produced at still lower cost. For example, the preparation of the surface for fastening the system to a bearing ring is complex and expensive, since it has to be precise and clean.